Haneef seeks compensation from Oz Govt.

Published: Friday, August 29, 2008, 16:53 [IST]

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{image-Mohamed Haneef_29082008.jpg www.oneindia.com}Melbourne, Aug 29: Indian born doctor Mohamed Haneef wants compensation from the Australian Government, an apology for his arrest and imprisonment after the Australian Federal Police (AFP) dropped its case against him.

The Gold Coast-based doctor was charged over a terrorism plot in the UK but the case against him later collapsed. Haneef's solicitor Rod Hodgson said his client, who has been working in the United Arab Emirates for the past couple of months, was delighted at the news, but wanted an apology from the government and as yet unspecified damages. "We are ready to negotiate the terms of any apology and a damages settlement with the government so as to avoid the unnecessary expense and further angst of civil litigation," Hodgson said.

He declined to say how much compensation Dr Haneef was seeking, saying only it was 'a matter for further down the track' after a federal government inquiry into the case.

The AFP on Friday said that it had advised the former Gold Coast doctor's solicitor Hodgson that the agency had recently informed Attorney-General Robert McClelland and Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus that Dr Haneef "is no longer a person of interest'".

"The AFP has concluded its active inquiries, although some long-standing overseas inquiries are yet to be fully resolved,"' the AFP said in a statement.

"At the present time, there is insufficient evidence to institute proceedings against Dr Haneef for any criminal offence," News.com.au reported.'

Dr Haneef was arrested at Brisbane International Airport as he boarded a plane for Bangalore on July 2 last year, after police linked his mobile phone SIM card to botched terror attacks in Britain. He was held for 12 days before being charged with supporting a terrorist organisation.

Meanwhile, his visa was cancelled by then Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews just hours after a Brisbane magistrate granted him bail on July 16, ensuring he remained in detention. The case later collapsed for lack of evidence.